Three Tips to Prepare Yourself for Entrepreneurship

Some years back I did an interview on how a person can prepare themselves for being an entrepreneur.  Having been an entrepreneur for a number of years, I was able to look back and highlight three of the most important nuggets that helped me better prepare for starting up a business of my own while working at both Accenture and Microsoft.  Give these a look and see if they resonate with you: 
Get some experience in managing finances – at the end of the day your business needs to make money.  Make sure you get experience developing and managing to a budget.  This is particularly important if you aren't disciplined with money.  If you're not sure about whether you're disciplined, then chances are you're not. :-)
Do different jobs within a company – don’t limit yourself to doing just one job in a company.  Bounce around and do tours of duties in sales, operations, product development, or other areas which will better round your skill-sets.  This was one of my most valuable things I did to prepare myself for entrepreneurship.  I find that I use a lot of different experiences from different jobs in my current entrepreneurial journey. Amazon.com Widgets Get a coach who has successfully managed a small business – glean as much benefit as possible from someone who has managed a small business and experienced both success and failures along the way.  You’ll get some great pragmatic advice that will help you prepare for your life as an entrepreneur.  If you don't think you need a coach, then be even more diligent about finding one.  You need a coach, end of sentence.



If you're considering starting your own business, take a look at my mini e-books to help you dip a toe into the small business pool with your eyes wide open.  Taking this step uninformed is a sure-fire way to get on the road to failure.  Be armed and aware.